


Bruce Banner, Disaster Bi: A Tragedy in Three Acts

by allandnothing



Series: The usual bunch of morons but with phds [2]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Professors, Bruce agues with himself kind of a lot, Dorks in Love, M/M, gay trans kleptomaniac dinosaurs, lots of gay jokes bc i am a gay joke, she's there for just one scene tho, some might call that introspection, what do you mean stop projecting your insecurities onto fictional characters how else would i write
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-03
Updated: 2019-02-03
Packaged: 2019-10-21 20:41:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,946
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17649521
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/allandnothing/pseuds/allandnothing
Summary: “What if he was joking!” he exclaimed, running his hands through his hair before pulling at it. Helen groaned, looking up at the ceiling in exasperation, “Maybe he’s just an outgoing guy and just meant it in a platonic way, maybe he’s straight!”“God, you’re such a lesbian,” Helen sighed, rubbing at her temples.Thor and Bruce go out on their first date while the latter tries to figure out how to interpret Thor's advances before he embarrasses himself in front of his not-so-subtly-hidden crush. Cuteness ensues.





	Bruce Banner, Disaster Bi: A Tragedy in Three Acts

**Author's Note:**

> I meant to save this for a little longer and post it around maybe mid-month, but I just finished my winter exam session and I’m emotionally drained, I need love and validation so here it is 
> 
> There’s also the fact that the more I look at this the more I hate it so just take it, please, t a k e i t
> 
>  
> 
> (Oh and for the record, I have never been to New York and all my knowledge on where things are comes from Google Maps. Just a heads up)

“When you said you needed help I thought it was about work stuff not… this.”

Bruce turned his head to look at his friend from his face-down position on his couch. Helen was standing in his doorway, arms crossed over her chest and a tiny frown of concern on her forehead. She lifted an eyebrow at him, most likely to prompt an explanation as to why he texted her during her lunch break and basically begged her to come over to his place, but he just smashed his face right back into the cushion, his groan muffled by the scratchy fabric.

He heard her sigh and close the door behind her before making her way over to him and his pathetic whining. The couch dipped a little when she sat down on it next to Bruce’s legs, and after a moment of hesitation she lifted her hand to pat his head pitifully.

“What did you do that caused this existential crisis?” she asked, letting her hand stray enough to pet through Bruce’s curls. He let himself indulge in the feeling before turning on his side on the couch to glance at her, aware of looking like a plague victim or a hobo in his sweatpants and an oversized t-shirt.

“Nothing, it’s just,” he sighed, covering his face with his hands and murmuring the next words from behind them, “I might have a date in an hour and I need help.”

There was a moment of silence, then Helen let out a genuine squeal, grabbing Bruce by his shoulder and shaking him.

“Oh my god, Bruce, why didn’t you say that sooner!” she exclaimed, jumping up from the couch and starting to pace through the living room. She almost seemed more excited about it than Bruce himself, “Oh this is amazing, who’s the lucky girl? Or boy? Or neither? Wait, you said _an hour_? What are you still doing laying there doing nothing, then!”

“Helen, chill out,” he laughed, sitting up to look at her more properly, “That’s why I called you, I need help picking an outfit, and-“ he sighed, avoiding his friend’s gaze, “and anyway I told you, it _might_ be a date, I’m not sure.”

That’s why he had resorted to calling his old colleague Helen Cho instead of his closest friends to deal with his… _meeting_ with Thor. He wasn’t entirely sure he had meant what he said when the man had asked him out on a date, circa a week ago, and he didn’t want to get his friends' hopes- they had known him since forever, probably, him having a date was a surprising event that wasn’t going to pass unnoticed. He wanted to be sure that this… thing he was developing with Thor was official before announcing it.

“Dates aren’t a grey area, Bruce,” pointed out Helen, hands on her hips, and Bruce sighed. He should’ve expected it, Helen wasn’t exactly the most patient type when it came to Bruce’s insecurities and nervousnesses, “It’s either a date or it isn’t. Did you ask, or was it them?”

“He asked,” he answered, “He mentioned a palaeontology exhibit and the science and history museum and said he’d like to go-“

“Very smooth,” hummed Helen.

“I said I’d like to go too, so he offered a joint trip-“

“A joint trip? It’s that how they call it nowadays?”

“ _A joint trip_ \- and when I said it sounded good to me he said ‘it’s a date’, and that’s the last date related message he has sent.”

Helen looked at him for a couple of seconds, then closed her eyes, exhaled loudly, and opened them again.

“So let me get this straight-“ Bruce winced. Helen not making a straight joke wasn’t a good sign, “He asked you out on a date, explicitly called it a date, and you’re not sure if it’s a date or not?”

Well, if you put it that way it does sound ridiculous, but Bruce wasn’t known for having good sense.

“What if he was joking!” he exclaimed, running his hands through his hair before pulling at it. Helen groaned, looking up at the ceiling in exasperation, “Maybe he’s just an outgoing guy and just meant it in a platonic way, maybe he’s straight!”

“God, you’re such a lesbian,” Helen sighed, rubbing at her temples, “Maybe he’s straight- how long have you two been talking for?”

He thought about it for a second, his mind going all the way back to their first meeting at the NYU science convention in September, “About a month?”

“And have you gone out at all in the meanwhile?”

“Well, not exactly-” Helen looked at him in a borderline murderous way, so he held up his hands and hastily explained, “We went out for coffee a couple of times, but I do that with everyone! I go out for coffee with you, too!”

He didn’t mention the way he caught Thor looking at him across the cafeteria table in more than one occasion, a look so smitten it still made his heart beat faster just thinking about it- it was only going to make his whole point sound even more delusional.

He didn’t know this guy long enough to not know that wasn’t how he normally looked at people.

“Yeah, but just because I don’t want to get in your pants doesn’t mean he doesn’t,” Helen smirked, and Bruce covered his face again to hide his embarrassment. His chest hurt uncomfortably and he felt himself starting to spiral.

“I’m going to cancel,” he said, not completely consciously. It was just an instinct of his. When it got to be too much, when a situation was too new and unfamiliar for him, his first thought was to get away from it. Go as far as possible in the opposite direction of it. He knew it wasn’t a healthy behaviour but he still hadn’t learned how to fight it. The only way to snap him out of it is for someone to kick some sense into him and that’s when Helen came in.

“You’re not cancelling shit,” she said, not even surprised by his bailing attempt. She seemed to soften a bit under Bruce’s anxiety, and instead of telling him off for being an over-thinker she just walked up to him, leaning forward on her knees until she could make eye contact with him, “We both know you would end up regretting it. So you’re going there, you’re meeting up with this Thor, and you’re going to have fun, whether or not it is a date.”

His mouth tightened in an unconscious motion, and Helen placed her hands on both of his arms, giving him something to lean against, both physically and emotionally, “I like him, Helen,” he whispered, feeling exposed and vulnerable under his friend’s gaze, “But what if that’s just me? What if he doesn’t feel the same?”

“Well, you will never know if you don’t go,” she pointed out, drawing tiny circles on his upper arms with her thumbs, “I bet my rent money that your worries are baseless and that he’s as worried about this date as you are, but we need further proof to determine an answer."

She winked at her choice of words, smiling encouragingly at him, and Bruce looked away for a moment. He hated when he was in the wrong, “Alright.”

Helen smiled, patting both of his arms happily before jumping back enthusiastically, “Up up, then, champ, we have a date to dress up for.”

 

* * *

 

In retrospect, letting someone else dress him up was probably the best decision Bruce had ever made. He wasn’t a fashion expert, so what he was planning to go with was one of his button-up shirts and a pair of jeans- a bad idea, if Helen’s horrified expression was anything to go by- so he just opened his closet and let his friend do her magic.

After 35 long minutes and an argument on whether a beanie would have made him look like he was trying too hard to seem cool or not, Helen clapped her hands in victory as she watched Bruce do a tiny spin for her in his outfit. He was wearing a pair of dark grey plaid trousers he wasn’t even aware he owned, a soft grey sweater- which Helen had described as “extremely huggable”- and a black trench coat on top of it. He looked at least five years younger wearing all of that.

“Damn,” whistled Helen, handing him a cotton scarf to bring in case it got cold, “If this doesn’t make him fall in love right away that man will need some glasses prescriptions.”

Bruce made a funny face at her, then grabbed his satchel for his afternoon lecture, every single one of his nerves on edge, “Thank you for your help, Helen, you truly saved my life.”

“That’s what friend are for,” she replied matter-of-factly, hand on her heart in a gesture so solemn it was comical, “And another thing friends are for is telling each other spicy date details so as soon as you tap that you let me know,” she laughed when he slapped her with his scarf in a poor attempt at hiding his furious blush, “Now go, date boy, go!”

“This is my apartment,” he laughed as his friend started pushing him towards the door with a surprising amount of strength.

“Stop acting like you didn’t give me and ten other people a copy of your keys in one of your panic crisis. I’ll close the door,” she explained, almost throwing him out of the flat with her enthusiasm, “Go and enjoy your date, you disaster bi.”

 

* * *

 

The cold autumn wind welcomed Bruce by ruffling his hair as he got out of the subway near Central Park, just a short distance away from the museum that was going to be the set for his and Thor’s first date. Supposedly.

He had promised himself he was going to be cool and collected about this whole thing- he was an _adult_ , for the love of god, he knew how to handle things- but he ended up being such a nervous wreck that he had to take some of his anxiety medications to calm himself down while he was riding the subway. Not enough to make him borderline tipsy, but enough to not make him throw up the second Thor greeted him.

The human race was a mistake and Bruce Banner was a prime example of it.

He was so lost in his own thoughts he was barely aware of his feet leading him towards his destination, but when he reached it his heart leapt in his throat when he looked up and realized that Thor was already waiting for him. He was standing on the side of the road across the museum, his profile to Bruce so that he didn’t see him coming. He, too, was wearing a trench coat, only that it was longer and a dark grey, it made him look like a private investigator from some 1930s novel- one that Bruce was ridiculously attracted to. He was holding a white paper bag in his right hand and his head was tilted on the side as he watched a pigeon peck at the ground in front of him with such intensity it was almost fascinating.

Taking a deep breath, Bruce gathered all his remaining courage and dignity- there wasn’t much of it to begin with- and stepped up to his (presumed) date. The moment Thor saw him his whole face lit up in a way that made him feel butterflies and all sorts of weirdly misplaced lepidopterans in his stomach.

“Bruce!” he exclaimed, his usual deep voice going for a high pitched lift that obviously meant he was happy to see him, but that Bruce forced himself not to dwell too hard on. He started lifting his free arm, probably to give the other man a one-armed hug, but then stopped himself, worried that his action might not be appreciated. It would’ve been more than appreciated, on Bruce’s part, but he didn’t have time to point that out because as fast as it came up the arm was immediately gone, “You look amazing.”

He had a feeling that Thor hadn't meant to actually say that out loud because he immediately blushed, looking back down at the floor in what seemed to be a mini existential crisis. Either that or he was silently asking the pigeon for help.

“Ah, thank you,” was Bruce’s lame reply. He gave a silly bow to make Thor less uncomfortable and it probably worked, if his little chuckle was anything to go by, “You look… really good yourself,” he could feel the blush rising up to his cheek with the blurted out compliment- one that made Thor beam adorably- so he hurried to cover it up, “I’m sorry for making you wait, I’m afraid fashion requires time sacrifices I hadn’t taken into consideration.”

“Oh, don’t worry about it, you’re not late,” Thor reassured him, this time being brave enough to gently push at Bruce’s shoulder. He tried to write off his shiver as being related to the cold weather, “I’m the one who’s early. But I’m glad I am because I managed to find a churros stand nearby. Here.”

He handed him the paper bag and as Bruce opened it he revealed half a dozen sugary churros crowded inside of it. His stomach clenched at the sight and so did his heart, but for two completely different reasons. He was about to thank Thor for the kind gesture- he must’ve taken note of his sweet tooth on their coffee “dates”- when he was hit with the realization that Thor had gone out of his way to get something nice for him for their apparent-but-probably-not date while he hadn’t even thought about it.

“Oh my god, I didn’t get you anything,” he exclaimed, paper bag preventing him from pulling at his curls, “Oh my god, I’m so sorry, I’m such a horrible person-“

“No, no, no, Bruce, it’s okay,” Thor laughed, evidently amused by his worries but still ready to reassure him, “The stand was right there and I thought you might’ve liked to have some, don’t take it as an obligation you need to follow, you don’t owe me anything for it,” then, lowering his tone a bit, he added, “Besides, your company is enough of a gift for me.”

This time there was no way he could’ve fought back the blush as it spread across his face and neck. Thor seemed way too smug about it for his likes, “Alright, thank you, Don Giovanni,” he closed the bag again to protect the still warm Spanish sweets from the cold before nodding towards the museum, “Shall we?”

The other man nodded before offering him his elbow cheerfully. Shaking his head in fond amusement, Bruce took it, and together they made their way across the street.

Fortunately for both of them, the museum seemed to be pretty much empty, which for New York was an actual miracle, and after paying their tickers and swiftly hiding any sugary paper bags from the cashier they started walking around the exhibit, looking as interested in each room as a couple of kindergartens.

“I’m actually surprised you didn’t suggest going to the planetarium,” said Bruce around a churro. They had to break up their arm-in-arm embrace to be able to pay the entrance and let the small scientist eat, but they made up for it by standing less than a foot apart in front of a plasticized triceratops, “You know, with the astronomy major and all.”

Thor made a soft 'tsk' sound, reaching a hand into the paper bag to get a churro for himself, “Why pay to hear someone talk about the stars when I can do that for you for free, whenever you want,” he smiled, looking down at him, and Bruce felt so weirdly exposed he had to focus his gaze again on the dinosaur in front of him, “And besides, I know plenty of good places for stargazing, I’ll take you there one day and show you how much better the real thing is.”

Bruce almost choked on his churro. Did Thor just imply what he thought he just implied?

He tried to catch the other man’s gaze again to try to understand what he meant- did he want to take Bruce on another date after this? Was this one a _date_?- but he had already started walking towards the next hall. God just loved to make him suffer.

It didn’t take long for them to finish their sweet snacks and throw the bag away and after half an hour they found themselves walking around the museum to stare at each exposition they found and talk about it with either intense scientific commentary that must’ve seemed extremely boring to an outside viewer but that kept them pretty entertained, or simply ridiculous comments throw there and then about how weird the dinosaurs looked in the poses they were forced into. Had he let himself think about it, he probably could’ve said that they looked like an old married couple having fun on one of their days off.

_Not into me, not into me, don’t get your hopes up._

It was when they reached a theca with a pair of velociraptors behind the glass wall that the afternoon went from good to great. Watching the pair of dinosaurs worry over half a dozen of eggs, was about to make a throwaway comment about the _Jurassic Park_ franchise- mostly to see if Thor shared his celebrity crush on Jeff Goldblum- when the other man beat him to it.

“Charles!” Thor’s sudden outburst startled Bruce, making him jump slightly. He looked around the room to see who Thor was talking to but he came up empty handed- they were the only ones in there apart from a small group of middle schoolers that he pointedly avoided the gaze of. He turned around towards his friend again and found him still staring at the exposition. After a beat, he continued, with the same odd squeaky voice he had spoken in before, “How many eggs did we have? Four or five? I think we lost one.”

Bruce looked back to the distressed dinosaur crouching over its eggs and he wheezed softly. Well, if that’s the game Thor wanted to play why not follow along?

“Goddamnit, Richard,” he said in a low raucous voice, trying to impersonate the other protagonist of the scene in front of him, “I have just come back from work, how would I know?”

Thor turned towards him with a smile that could’ve melted a statue, “Oh, we’re going for gay raptors?”

Bruce couldn’t help blushing as he pointed between the two of them and murmured, “Well, it seems fitting, doesn’t it?”

The man just nodded cheerfully, looking like he was having the time of his life, then pointed towards the eggs Richard was worrying over, “So I’m assuming either of them is trans?”

“Could be,” agreed Bruce, folding his arms in front of his chest the same way he did when he was giving a lecture at the university, “They could also be cis and have stolen those eggs. That’s what gay penguins do nowadays.”

“Gay trans kleptomaniac dinosaurs,” Thor mused, looking at the raptors and then at Bruce again with such a happy and relaxed gaze that it made Bruce’s heart sing, “Finally some ancestors to be truly proud of.”

They looked at each other solemnly for all but three seconds before bursting out laughing. The seventh graders were probably judging them intensely but it didn’t really matter, not when Thor reached for Bruce’s hand to pull him towards the next hall.

“Come on, let’s see what other ancestors we have,” he explained as he folded his hand around Bruce’s with a movement that he was sure was meant as smooth but that irradiated nervousness. Feeling Thor’s flustered stress, he let himself be dragged away and squeezed the other man’s hand for reassurance. He had to fake a cough to mask the- very manly- squeal that escaped him when Thor squeezed back.

They spent the following hour laughing at each exhibit they found and doing voices for each character, and the game didn’t get old even once. Thankfully for Bruce’s social anxiety, there truly weren’t many people in the museum, and the few that they met seemed as amused by their silliness as they were, so he felt carefree and purely happy as he voiced more and more dinosaurs, Thor’s hand still in his own.

When they reached a brontosaurus depicted with its jaw hanging open, Thor thought it would be appropriate to voice its thoughts by opening his own mouth and start screaming, but thankfully Bruce was close and fast enough to slam his free hand over his lips.

“That’s Nicholas, and he’s yawning, not screaming,” he explained, oddly comfortable with the closeness with the other man, who was looking at him in amusement and doing no effort to remove his hand, “Nicholas is actually very self-conscious so he would rather not attract attention to himself.”

He could feel Thor smile against his skin, his gaze softening under Bruce’s concers, and when he reached up to move his hand away he didn’t stop him.

“Well, thankfully Nicholas has Mike over there,” he pointed towards the stegosaurus near Nicholas, but Bruce was too busy staring at him to turn around and look. The fact that Thor hadn’t let go of his wrist and his thumb was drawing tiny circles on it wasn’t helping his cause either, “And Mike is willing to fight whoever dares judge or mock Nicholas."

Bruce smiled, well aware of his face heating up under Thor’s soft gaze and the metaphor he just used. Then, without any kind of warning, Thor brought his hand back up to his lips and kissed his palm. It was quick enough to not make Bruce uncomfortable with the PDA, but it was still intense enough that he felt all of his organs drop somewhere near his navel. He was pretty sure he was going to die before the end of this date.

Thankfully, Bruce’s body didn’t betray him and instead of dropping to his knees right there and then he managed to smile at Thor- something that seemed infinitely inadequate compared to what he just did but that still made the other man beam- and lead him towards the exit.

They stopped at the gift shop- because Bruce was an adult that earned his own money and he’ll be damned if he doesn’t let himself enjoy stupid little things in life like museum souvenirs- and they left with two tiny miniature velociraptors in their pockets, each of them named after their potentially kleptomaniac ancestors. The moment when Thor had picked them up from one of the shop stands and showed them to Bruce with the most adorable expression is surely going to make him smile for the rest of the week.

Not wanting the date to be over yet, but with the weight of their jobs and responsibilities hanging over them, they decided to take a stroll through Central Park, slowly but inevitably making their way towards the nearest subway station. Their hands were still laced together, although loosely, and Bruce knew that he should’ve felt embarrassed by the display- they were only on their first date, why would Thor want to make it seem like they were together?- but he honestly didn’t care. He was in his mid-40s, and he had spent his entire life being afraid of closeness with other people, he wasn’t going to let his insecurities ruin his day.

He must’ve involuntarily squeezed Thor’s hand while in conflict with himself because the other man looked down at him curiously, before smiling and squeezing back. He did so with such easiness, he seemed so carefree but yet so fixed in the moment with him, that it immediately made Bruce relax, both internally and physically.

“Sorry,” he mumbled, feeling like he should explain his odd behaviour, especially if he wanted this… thing with Thor to continue- and he is _not_ going to go into details to explain exactly how much he wanted that, “I’m just… not the most extroverted person around so I’m bad at this. At dates.”

There. He said it.

The D word.

Thor looked at him alarmed, then down at their hands, “I’m sorry, should I-“ he started to pull his own hand away, misinterpreting Bruce’s words (because like hell he was going to make sense for once in his life, was he?) but the scientist stopped him, not daring to lose that contact.

“No! That’s not what I meant!” he scrambled to explain, running his free hand through his hair in exasperation at himself, “It’s just that I don’t know how to act. I’m probably the most awkward person in the world and I end up making other people feel awkward too as a consequence and-“ he sighed, looking back at Thor, who was watching him intensely, “I’m a terrible person to take on a date.”

“Shut it, you’re not,” said the other man, playfully bumping his shoulder against Bruce’s and wow, that’s a whole different kind of closeness he hadn’t anticipated, “But I understand what you mean. I’m terrible too, I’m always afraid to overstep boundaries and make the other person uncomfortable... and I _really_ don’t want to mess this up.”

Bruce almost told him to shove it- how could he be terrible at dates, he was the most beautiful and charming man he had ever met in his goddamn life- but the nervousness and the low tone of the last sentence halted him.

Thor was nervous about this. About him.

About _them_.

Like, honestly, legitimately nervous. Nervous enough that right now he was refusing to meet Bruce’s eyes, preferring to stare at the trees they were passing by like they were the most interesting sight in existence.

And, well. That’s one thing Bruce knew how to handle. He had been worrying all month that Thor wasn’t as interested in him as he was, that he only wanted to go out just to try, which wasn’t what Bruce wanted to go for at all- he had avoided commitment his whole life and now his hair was greying, he had no time to _try_ \- but why would someone be so nervous about something that didn’t matter to him?

“Well, we’ll get better with practice,” he said with a confidence that he didn’t feel, and will probably never feel. It didn’t take long for Thor to connect the dots, the hidden implication that there might be more dates to come, that Bruce was open to the idea, and when he did he whipped his head back so quickly he was surprised he didn’t get whiplash. It was now Bruce’s turn to stare at trees, face heating up in flustered anticipation.

“Ah, that’s for sure,” agreed Thor, and the man at his side visibly relaxed at the confirmation that yes, Thor wanted to keep this _thing_ between them going, “I told you, next time I’m going to take you stargazing. It might not be the best of seasons for that, but I also have a stars projector lamp at home so we could use that as a plan B.”

“You sure that’s as good as the real thing?” he asked, playing along and pretending that his heart wasn’t beating like crazy at the idea of going over to Thor’s house to snuggle and watch some projected stars. He was going to have dreams about it until they did it.

“It’s not as good, but it’s better than freezing to death,” he shrugged, then added a bit more quickly, “We’ll just have to wait for spring for the full experience.”

Fuelled by yet another confirmation of Thor’s enthusiasm for dating, Bruce decided to offer his own idea for a third date- _okay this is probably the whitest and most heterosexual idea ever but listen, ice skating_ \- and they soon found themselves plotting their future months together. It held so much more importance in Bruce’s heart knowing that it was real and not just a spur of the moment hypothesis.

Unfortunately, they also found themselves at the subway entrance just as they were halfway through their mental sixth date, and the reality of his afternoon lecture came crashing upon Bruce. God, how was he even going to hold a decent lesson after a date like that?

“Remind me again why our faculties are in two different places?” asked Thor with an adorable pout as he let himself be led to the subway platform where Bruce was going to wait for his train. A train he was not going to take because life was unjust and needed Thor elsewhere.

“It’s for the best, really,” replied Bruce, finding his usual favourite spot on the platform and turning around to look at his date ( _date_!!) with his back to the tracks, “How would anyone in the physics department get anything done with such good looking professors wandering about?”

Thor made a weird high-pitched sound, quickly hiding his flustered face in his hands with a tiny “oh my god” that made Bruce feel oddly lightweight. He emerged from there a couple of seconds later, all flushed skin and happy lines around his eyes, and something shifted and settled itself in Bruce’s chest. Something warm and fuzzy that he didn’t even know was there.

“I know it’s cheesy to say this, but I really had fun today,” said Thor, taking half a step forward so that he could talk more quietly, something Bruce was immensely grateful for given that they were in a public space, and although they were the only ones aside for a few people there he didn’t want to draw attention to them, “We should do something like this again in the future… if you’d like.”

“I do like,” agreed Bruce, making a small wheeze for a laugh.

It was something fragile, too. Something that he was sure was going to be crushed if this went downhill. He wasn’t entirely sure it could be brought back together afterwards.

Thor smiled again- he was beginning to think that was just his resting face, he never ceased to smile- and swung their still laced hands from side to side contently, his eyes still fixed on Bruce’s face. Like he wanted to say or do something but was waiting for him to make the first move.

His instinct- the same instinct that almost made him bail out on the date- was to pull back and protect the newly formed thing, because he couldn’t afford to have it destroyed, but his heart seemed to be of a totally different idea.

His free hand lifted until it slowly but surely wrapped itself on the side of Thor’s neck. His skin crawled with the need to pull away _right now_ , but he forced the feeling down. Thor’s hand reached up immediately after, grabbing Bruce’s hand to make sure it stayed where it was as he gave him a reassuring smile. It was a soft gesture, not forceful in the least, but it was enough to crumble Bruce’s last walls.

The only one who could really destroy the fragile and warm thing was Thor himself, but he belie- _knew_ that was not going to be the case. Not after the day they just had. Not when he was looking at him like he was the most precious thing in the world and was holding onto his wrist like it was a lifeline.

_Pull back, my guy, pull back_ , screamed his instinct. A distant voice announced the upcoming arrival of a train as Thor swallowed nervously in anticipation under his gaze, and his instinct forgot what it was on about.

Slowly, giving the other man plenty of time to back out- in case _his_ instinct was being a douchebag too- he stood up on his tip toes (something he had never had to do to reach someone’s mouth before, for the record) and closed the distance between them by capturing Thor’s lips with his own. He felt the other man exhale against his cheek and after a second the hand that was at his wrist moved to cradle his head and pull him closer. Not too close, since they were still in public- his movements were so calculated he had a feeling he was thinking everything through to make sure he didn’t make Bruce uncomfortable, and honestly bless this man, that wasn’t even something his own body often thought of doing- but close enough so that he could tilt Bruce’s head and fit their lips more properly. If Bruce squealed softly at the movement that was between them.

A strong whoosh of air announced the arrival of the train but neither of them paid too much attention to it. They were both so gone they didn’t even hear it, which was impressive- or pathetic, it depends on how you see it- if you consider that they hadn’t even been kissing for a minute. It was when the doors opened behind him that Bruce realized that his instinct hadn’t fucked off completely, and that if he felt brave enough to kiss (kiss!! what the fuck!!) Thor that didn’t mean he was brave enough to face his reaction yet.

With a move that he was sure he was never going to be able to recreate, he waited until the very last moment to pull away, enjoying the way Thor’s beard glided against his freshly shaved cheeks, then, when the usual obnoxious acoustic signal announced the closing of the doors, he smoothly- albeit unhappily- weaseled out of Thor’s embrace, letting his hand drag along the side of his face, took a couple of steps back until he was on the train and the doors closed in front of him. Thor’s just-kissed face looked at him from the other side of the glass with a stunned expression that stayed there all for two seconds before it was replaced by an incredulous happy smile and yep, that was probably truly his resting face.

Bruce smiled back, aware of his face heating up for the millionth time that day, and shared Thor’s gaze until the train pulled away from the platform and he was no longer able to see him.

Like the mature adult he was, he covered his face with his hands and let out a silent squeak, excitement and contentment momentarily overriding his anxiety for social settings. He couldn’t believe he had just done that. And to _Thor_ , no less. His inner high school girl jumped out as he realized that he couldn’t wait to tell Helen and his other friends about this, but he decided to wait before doing that, just for it to be his only to treasure for a while.

The ding of his phone brought him back to reality, and he let his hands fall down from his face to retrieve it. It was a message from Thor.

Excited but also a little nervous, he opened it and revealed it to be a photo. A photo of Thor still standing on the platform, face all flushed and a hand thrown over his eyes to hide his embarrassment. It didn’t hide his smile, though, all toothy and unmistakably happy.

Bruce smiled and sent him a pic of his own in the same pose, and Thor only replied with an assorted bunch of heart emojis like the dork he was.

The thing in his chest grew a size. It wasn’t going to break.

**Author's Note:**

> So this was a little different, I decided to go a bit introspective, if we want to be presumptuous. What do you think?
> 
> About that love and validation thing I mentioned before… care to contribute to it?
> 
> Jk, I just hope you liked this and that I made your day a bit gayer (in both senses of the word)
> 
> Peace and love to y’all see you next time for some more gay shenanigans


End file.
